A Very Merry Messer Family Thanksgiving
by sarahlou82
Summary: replaces story I started with the same name! This started out as a Danny/Lindsay/Lucy with Adam/OC story but Lucy kinda hijacked! First fic in a while so please be gentle! Please R & R!


Adam Ross loved the layout of the crime lab, the clear glass walls meant you could always see what was happening elsewhere in the lab. They meant he could see the doors of the elevator open and he could see three and a half year-old Lucy Messer charge out of the elevator and towards her mother. Lindsay staggered backwards slightly as Lucy crashed into her legs. "Whoa, steady sweetie!" Lindsay grinned as she attempted to prise her daughter away from her legs.

However, it wasn't the familiar mother-daughter scene that caught Adam's attention, but the fair haired woman following closely behind Lucy. Adam always looked forward to Lucy's visits to the lab as she usually accompanied by her sitter Ali, and as much as he hated to admit it, Ali was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. Except he hadn't technically met her, not really, apart from the one time he had accidentally walked into her in the corridor, but he didn't think that really counted. He watched as Ali and Lindsay chatted, trying to work out what the two women were saying, oblivious to his boss silently entering the room behind him. "Adam," Mac said, in an unsuccessful attempt to get the younger man's attention. "Adam!" he repeated, louder this time. Adam jumped as the sharp tone of his boss' voice got through to his daydream addled brain. "Uh, oh! Sorry boss, I, uh, was just, um. Never mind, you want the results right?" Adam handed the results over to Mac and shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat as he wordlessly watched Mac scan the results. "Thanks for these Adam." Mac said, holding up the results folder as he left the room. Adam waited until he was certain Mac had left before turning around, hoping to catch another glimpse of Ali before she left. One brief look told him he was too late- the spot she had previously been stood in bore nothing but the memory of her. "Damn." He muttered under his breath.

The following day Adam followed Lindsay into the break room and poured himself a cup of coffee. "Hey Lindsay, how's the baby doing?" He asked as he watched his heavily pregnant colleague lower herself onto the couch. "Momma's a kick ball, my ribs hurt and I need to pee every twenty minutes, but apart from that we're dandy!" Lindsay grimaced slightly as she ran her hand over her bump, clearly feeling the effect of the baby's kicks. "That good huh?!" Adam smiled as he sat down opposite her. "So," he continued. "Is Ali going to look after the new baby as well as Lucy?" Lindsay looked puzzled at the question, but after working with Adam for over five years she had almost gotten used to his often random train of thought. "Probably, Lucy adores Ali, and her living next door is really handy." She replied as Adam gently nodded his head. "Anyway, Lucy's sitter aside, are you doing anything for Thanksgiving? Danny and I were wondering if you wanted to spend it with us if you weren't doing anything?"

"I, uh, wow! I don't know Linds, I wouldn't wanna get in the way or anything." Lindsay smiled, this was typical of Adam and his self-deprecation. She leant forward and placed a hand on Adam's arm. "Adam, sweetie, you wouldn't be in the way at all. Ali's coming round too, her family are all going away so she's only be on her own otherwise." Adam had to fight the urge to punch the air in delight, if Ali was going then he had to go too! "Oh, ok." He replied. "So long as I'm not going to get in the way." Lindsay smiled and squeezed his arm. "Of course you won't. Now, help a pregnant lady up would you, I need to pee again!"

* * *

Thanksgiving Day rolled around quicker than everyone expected. The Messer household was a hive of activity: Danny was in charge of cooking the Thanksgiving feast; Lucy was racing around the apartment leaving a trail of toys and clothing in her wake; and Lindsay waddled around behind her daughter attempting to pick up after her. Danny stood in the kitchen doorway, watching his daughter shaped whirlwind whip around the lounge. "Lucy Marie Messer, stop right there!" he ordered. Lucy froze on the spot, holding her sock above her head, poised to throw it. "Do NOT throw that sock Lucy, I want you to turn around, pick up everything you've just dropped and go and get dressed." Lucy lowered the sock and pouted. "But Daddy..."

"Don't 'But Daddy' me young lady, go." Lucy huffed and puffed her way back to her bedroom, picking up things along the way.

Lindsay eased herself onto the couch. "She gets it from you Danny, I swear I was never like that at her age!" Danny leant forward and kissed the top of his wife's head. "Yeah, and I'm sure your Ma would argue differently!" Lindsay batted Danny lightly on the arm. "Very funny Danny, now don't you have a meal to prepare?" Danny stroked her pregnant belly before heading back to the kitchen, pausing part-way to blow a kiss towards her.

* * *

Adam approached Danny and Lindsay's apartment nervously clutching a bottle of wine to his chest. He just hoped he would manage to get through the evening without making a complete ass of himself in front of Ali. He paused outside the Messer's apartment door, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the delicious smells wafting from inside the apartment. His eyes suddenly shot open as the door next to him clicked closed and Ali stood next to him. "Oh hey, Adam right?" She asked. Adam's brain abruptly stopped sending messages to his mouth and his tongue froze in place. Instead he nodded his head slightly. "I suppose we'd better go in then," she smiled. "You don't want to keep Lindsay waiting for food!" Adam smiled back, remembering the last time he'd been in a deli queue with Lindsay, she was not a pretty sight when the guy in front of her still hadn't decided on his order after standing in line for ten minutes!

Lindsay answered the door with a smile and ushered Ali and Adam into the apartment. Lucy, finally dressed and tidy, skipped towards the guests. She stopped in front of Ali and tugged on the hem of her skirt. "Ali, Ali, did you bringed them? You said you'd bringed them!" Ali carefully crouched down in front of Lucy, placing the bottle of wine she had brought on the floor and cautiously balancing the two boxes she carried on the palm of one hand. "Of course I brought them Lucy, I couldn't forget them now could I?!" Ali replied, winking conspiratorially at Lucy. "Good!" Lucy exclaimed, grinning up at Ali. "What are you two up to?" Lindsay asked as Lucy ran off giggling. "Nothing, nothing at all!" Ali replied, handing the boxes over to her host. "The top box is pumpkin pie, the bottom box is for later, no peeking!"

"Ok, no peeking," Lindsay replied before gesturing towards the couch. "Make yourselves comfy, I'll put these in the kitchen, but then you'll have to excuse me, I need to pee again!"

* * *

So far the meal had been a huge success: Danny's cooking had been repeatedly praised; virtually all of Ali's pumpkin pie had been demolished; and Lucy had provided entertainment for all when she had declared that she wanted a baby elephant instead of a baby brother or sister. Despite being momentarily horrified by the prospect of giving birth to a baby elephant, Lindsay was thoroughly enjoying the evening. She had seen how Adam had looked at Ali on her numerous visits to the lab with Lucy, so inviting them both to Thanksgiving dinner was her own little attempt at matchmaking. And so far so good, they were getting on superbly; Adam had even managed to get through most of the evening without showing Ali what a complete and utter geek he could be! (Although after Ali's surprise admission to being a huge Guitar Hero fan, Lindsay was beginning to think that Ali was secretly as geeky as Adam!)

Lindsay left Danny cleaning up the dinner plates in the kitchen; and then excused herself and Lucy so they could ring her parents from the master bedroom, leaving Ali and Adam chatting on the couch. Lucy soon returned however talking to grandparents was only fun for so long when you were three and a half and had more exciting things to do. She rushed back into the lounge and threw herself in the tiny gap on the sofa separating Ali and Adam. Lucy giggled as she began to bounce on the couch, desperate for the attention of the adults either side of her. "Ali, it's time now Ali, time to show Mommy and Daddy what you bringed." Lucy whispered loudly, throwing herself sideways onto Ali's lap and almost kicking Adam in the head. Adam stretched his arm out on the back of the sofa behind Ali and leant in to talk to the girls. "Ok, what's going on? Let me in on the big secret." Lucy swung back towards Adam at speed, placing both of her tiny hands over his mouth. "Shhhhh uncky Adam, it's a supwise!" Adam tried to apologise, but Lucy's hands were pressed too firmly to his mouth, instead his words came out as more of a raspberry against Lucy's hands, which caused her to giggle some more. "Ok Luce," Ali whispered, holding Lucy under her arms and peeling her away from Adam. "Go fetch your Mom and Dad and we'll tell them."

Lucy looked between the kitchen where her father was and the door to the master bedroom where her mother was, trying to decide which parent she wanted to fetch first. She stood and thought for a few seconds before opening her mouth and bellowing. "Mommy! Daddy! Come quick, I need you!" Her parents both dashed into the lounge, Danny clutching a half clean plate and a dish rag, Lindsay still holding the phone, still mid-conversation with her parents. Danny reached their daughter first and knelt down in front of her. "What's wrong baby girl?" His face was creased with concern as he looked at his daughter, trying to ascertain whether she was injured. Lindsay waddled behind her husband a few seconds later. "Mommy, Daddy, me an' Ali wanna show you what she bringed. Can we Mommy?" Both parents, and the grandparents on the phone, all audibly sighed with relief. "Is that all you wanted honey?" Lindsay asked, relief clear on her face as Lucy nodded. "Ok then baby girl, just give me a minute to say goodbye to Nanna and Pops."

Lindsay quickly terminated the phone call while Ali collected the second box from the kitchen, carefully supervised by Lucy. "Don't drop them Ali, be careful." She chided as Ali carefully carried the box to the coffee table. "Come on Mommy, Daddy, come look." Lucy ceremoniously opened the lid of the box. "Look Mommy, me an' Ali made cookies. Look, they look like turkeys!" Lucy giggled as all the adults bar Ali peered into the box. "So that's what all the noise was for?" Danny asked, slightly exasperated with his daughter. "Lucy Marie Messer, you're gonna be the death of me and your Momma!" Lucy grinned as she wrapped her arms around her father's leg. "Ok Daddy. We gots to eat some now, but we gots to save some for Uncky Mac, Aunty Stella, Uncky Flack and Uncky Sheldon, we gots to Daddy." Danny scooped his daughter up in his arms. "Ok baby girl, but what about Uncle Sid? Doesn't he get a turkey cookie?" Lucy thought for a moment, and then wrinkled her nose up. "Uncky Sid smells funny, sos he don't get a cookie 'til he smells nice." The four adults burst into fits of laughter, Lucy really was priceless!

* * *

The evening soon wound closer to Lucy's bedtime, and although she tried to fight it, the sandman was quickly catching up with her. "Ok Luce," Danny said firmly. "It's bedtime for you baby girl, c'mon." Lucy protested weakly, but the large yawn that followed her protestations just confirmed that it was way past her bedtime. "Give Uncle Adam and Ali a kiss goodnight Luce." Danny added as he scooped his daughter from the couch. Sloppy kisses were duly given, and Danny carried her into her bedroom with Lindsay trailing behind. Ali yawned, and then placed her head on Adam's shoulder. "Lucy's not the only tired one." She murmured, snuggling closer to Adam.

Lucy fell asleep almost instantaneously once she was tucked up in bed. Danny wrapped his arm around his wife and kissed the top of her head. "What a day huh baby? And just think, we'll have a 10month-old adding the havoc next year." He grinned as he stroked his wife's belly. "Uh-huh," Lindsay replied. "Do you think Ali and Adam will hook up now?" Danny pulled away slightly from his wife, a puzzled look on his face. "Is that why you wanted to invite them both?" He whispered, hoping his voice wouldn't carry through to the lounge. Lindsay closed the gap between them and squeezed her husband, grinning against his chest. "Uh-huh. I bet you fifty bucks they're kissing when we go back in."

"Adam? Really?" He replied, weighing up his options. "Ok, I take that bet, we've not been gone long enough for him to put his moves on Ali!"

The two of them crept back to the lounge, avoiding the creaky floorboard outside the bathroom that would have otherwise given them away. It was quiet in the lounge, almost too quiet. Danny was beginning to regret making the bet with Lindsay, especially when he realised the back of the couch was too high for him to see over. They quietly rounded the end of the sofa to find Ali and Adam stretched out in each other's arms, fast asleep. "You owe me fifty bucks Montana." Danny whispered as they tiptoed back towards their bedroom.


End file.
